Interdisciplinary Clusters

Achieving more together: research across departmental boundaries

Issues in tropical medicine are complex and can rarely be addressed within a single discipline. At the BNITM, research groups from different sections and infrastructure units therefore collaborate in interdisciplinary clusters. The aim is to harness the synergies of the joint research agenda.

The best ideas emerge where curiosity meets neighbouring fields of knowledge. At the BNITM, it is not directives from above that determine which questions the clusters address, but the researchers themselves. From their own interests, cross-disciplinary areas emerge where disciplines engage in dialogue, joint projects take shape and ideas mature into viable strategic concepts.

What the clusters achieve 

• They bring together the research interests of various working units and infrastructure facilities.
• They create space for internal exchange and promote joint projects.
• They develop joint strategic concepts.
• The Institute provides financial support for regular meetings and discussions.

The current clusters 

Antimicrobial resistance: 

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most pressing global health threats of our time. It endangers humans, animals, plants, and entire ecosystems, and it slows progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

The numbers underline the urgency. In 2019 alone, around 1.14 million people died directly from drug-resistant bacterial infections, and resistance contributed to nearly 5 million deaths overall.(GBD 2021 Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators, 2024). The burden falls hardest on people in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

AMR is not just a medical or biological problem. It is also shaped by social, economic, cultural, and psychological factors. Tackling it therefore requires expertise from many disciplines working together.

This is where our initiative comes in. At BNITM, we established an interdisciplinary research cluster called the Synergy Hub. It brings together medicine, epidemiology, microbiology, the social, economic, and psychological sciences, and the humanities. Following the One Health approach, the Synergy Hub will develop innovative ways to prevent and control AMR, helping to preserve the effectiveness of antimicrobials and protect public health.

The Synergy Hub directly responds to leading international calls to action, including the WHO’s 2023 push for a people-centered response to AMR (see WHO, 2023: tinyurl.com/WHO-AMR-2023) and the UN’s 2024 Political Declaration on AMR (see UN, 2024: tinyurl.com/UNEP24). Its interdisciplinary perspective makes it possible to design context-sensitive solutions and to promote fair access to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, especially for the communities most at risk. With the Synergy Hub, the BNITM is well positioned to contribute meaningfully to global efforts against AMR.

Viral haemorrhagic fevers:

At the BNITM, several research groups are dedicated to the study and control of viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHF). Their work ranges from basic laboratory research through translational and clinical studies to social science research.

Long-standing partnerships with sites in Africa and a BSL-4 laboratory enable comprehensive diagnostic and scientific work. Furthermore, the institute is committed to capacity-building and the control of VHF, for example through the European Mobile Laboratory, initiatives on laboratory diagnostics and clinical management, and the training of healthcare professionals. The BNITM is also a WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Haemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research (WHOCC).

A key objective of the VHF Cluster is to raise the profile of the BNITM’s wide-ranging activities in research and control. The Cluster strengthens the Institute’s position in transdisciplinary funding calls and helps to influence policy decisions and improve patient care.

Climate change and infectious diseases: 

Climate change is altering the habitats of mosquitoes, ticks, rodents and wildlife, as well as their seasonal and geographical distribution. Temperature, precipitation and extreme weather also influence how pathogens multiply and spread in the environment and in food.

The interdisciplinary ‘Climate Change’ cluster brings together arbovirology, entomology, infectious disease epidemiology, vector control and health communication. It investigates how climatic conditions shape the interaction between pathogens, vectors and hosts; the role climate change plays in outbreaks and epidemics; and which strategies contribute to prevention and containment.

The cluster’s work ranges from experiments in the secure insectarium to statistical prediction models. Together with national and international partners, the findings are put into practice to better protect people from infectious diseases.

Neglected tropical diseases: 

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) impose a heavy burden of disease, particularly on the world’s poorest populations. Because those affected often lack a strong political voice, these diseases rarely feature prominently in public health discourse. The BNITM advocates for them on several levels: through research, policy advice, political engagement and communication. At least six of the 21 NTDs are studied at the institute. Furthermore, the institute is working with the WHO to have Loa loa recognised as an NTD.

NTDs often require holistic approaches, as resources are scarce. The BNITM’s activities have so far been spread across several departments and groups, which limits their visibility.

The NTD Research Cluster strengthens collaboration both within the institute and beyond. It brings together researchers who are working on NTDs or wish to do so in the future, and promotes exchange through regular meetings and the sharing of research ideas. Externally, it raises the institute’s profile and opens up new opportunities for networking and funding.